The present invention relates to a cellular phone (portable telephone) top cover having a smaller number of components, high product strength, and high waterproofness, with an arbitrary design given to the top cover, and a method of manufacturing a cellular phone top cover which enables efficient production of a cellular phone top cover having a transparent display window and a character or symbol.
Conventionally, a cellular phone top cover having a transparent display is constructed by a top cover body component molded of a colored molding resin having a hiding property to prevent any outward leakage of interior display light from an LED and the like, and a transparent display window component fitted in the body component which is molded of a transparent resin so as to allow an interior liquid crystal display to be made visible. The top cover body component has a trade name or the like printed thereon. The transparent display window component is edging-printed with a hiding black ink to provide a liquid crystal display contrast.
However, in prior art cellular phone top covers, the top cover body component and the transparent display component are primarily separate components. Therefore, the cellular phone top cover may be easily disassembled and broken under impact, and is liable to allow entry of water through a crevice. As such, it had no sufficient product strength and no sufficient waterproofing capability.
A prior art method of fabricating a cellular phone top cover requires a number of steps which include molding the top cover body component, printing characters, symbols, and the like on the top cover body component, molding the transparent display component, edge-printing on the transparent display component, and fitting the top cover body component and the transparent display component together. As such, the method requires so much time for fabrication of the cellular phone top cover, and involves issues of frequent defective product occurrences and unsatisfactory production efficiency.
Also, the method requires a number of devices to be prepared including a molding device and a printing device, both for the top cover body component, a molding device and a printing device, both for the transparent display component, and further a device for fitting the top cover body component and the transparent display component together. This necessitates a large capital-investment and production cost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cellular phone top cover which has a smaller number of components, satisfactory product strength, and waterproofing characteristic, and has an arbitrary design given to it, and also to provide a method of fabricating a cellular phone top cover which enables efficient production of a cellular phone top cover having a transparent display window and a character or a symbol.
In order to accomplish the above mentioned objects, the present invention is constructed as follows.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cellular phone (portable telephone) top cover comprising: a foil-decorating film including a character/symbol layer for displaying at least a character or a symbol and a colored layer defining a transparent display window of a cellular phone display which are laminated on an uppermost layer constructed by a transparent base film, and a transparent adhesive layer laminated thereon. The foil-decorating film is bonded via the adhesive layer to a transparent resin molded article of a cellular phone top cover shape having a voice output through-hole and a push button through-hole so that a portion of the colored layer of the foil-decorating film of the transparent resin molded article which is bonded to the article via the transparent adhesive layer defines the transparent display window of the cellular phone display, and at least the foil-decorating film on the voice output through-hole is removed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cellular phone top cover comprising: a transfer layer including at least a character/symbol layer for displaying a character or a symbol and a colored layer defining a transparent display window of a cellular phone display which are laminated on an uppermost layer constructed by a surface protection layer defined by a transparent ink, and a transparent adhesive layer laminated thereon. The transfer layer is bonded via the transparent adhesive layer to a transparent resin molded article of a cellular phone top cover shape having a voice output through-hole and a push button through-hole so that a portion of the colored layer of the foil-decorating film of the transparent resin molded article which is bonded to the article via the transparent adhesive layer defines the transparent display window of the cellular phone display, and the transfer layer on the voice output through-hole and on the push button through-hole is removed.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cellular phone top cover as set forth in the first or second aspect, wherein the colored layer is constructed by a black colored hiding portion, a first colored hiding portion, and a second colored hiding portion, and wherein the transparent display window is surrounded by any one of the hiding portions.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cellular phone top cover as set forth in any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the uppermost layer is resistant to sebum.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cellular phone top cover as set forth in any one of the first and fourth aspects, wherein the uppermost layer has a matte surface.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cellular phone top cover as set forth in any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the uppermost layer has anti-bacterial characteristics.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a cellular phone top cover, which comprises several steps discussed below.
A foil-decorating film is brought into intimate contact with an interior surface of a cavity recess of a mold capable of molding a transparent resin into a cellular phone top cover shape having a voice output through-hole and a push button through-hole. The foil-decorating film includes a character/symbol layer for displaying a character or a symbol and a colored layer defining a transparent display window of a cellular phone display which are laminated on a transparent base film, and a transparent adhesive layer laminated thereon.
The mold is then clamped and then the transparent resin is injected. Thus, the foil-decorating film can adhere to a transparent resin molded article so that a portion of the colored layer of the foil-decorating film of the transparent resin molded article which is bonded to the article via the transparent adhesive layer defines the transparent display window of the cellular phone display. At least the foil-decorating film on the voice output through-hole is then removed.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a cellular phone top cover, which comprises several steps discussed below.
A foil-decorating film is brought into intimate contact with an interior surface of a cavity recess of a mold capable of molding a transparent resin into a cellular phone top cover shape having a voice output through-hole and a push button through-hole. On the foil-decorating film is formed a transfer layer including at least a surface protective layer formed of a transparent ink, a character and symbol layer for displaying a character or a symbol and a colored layer defining a transparent display window of a cellular phone display, and a transparent adhesive layer, which are sequentially laminated on a transparent base film.
The mold is then clamped and the transparent resin is injected. Thus, the foil-decorating film can adhere to a transparent resin molded article so that a portion of the colored layer of the foil-decorating film of the transparent resin molded article which is bonded to the article via the transparent adhesive layer defines the transparent display window of the cellular phone display. The base film of the foil-decorating film is then released, and the transfer layer on the voice output through-hole and the push button through-hole is removed.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a cellular phone top cover as set forth in the seventh or eighth aspect, wherein a thickness of the colored layer of the foil-decorating film is 2 xcexcm-10 xcexcm.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cellular phone top cover fabricated in accordance with the method as set forth in any one of the seventh to ninth aspects.
According to the foregoing aspects of the present invention, the cellular phone top cover makes it possible to provide a display, such as liquid crystal display, in the transparent display window, and a speaker or the like in the voice output through-hole, and to provide a push button or the like made of a light permeable resin or the like in the push button through-hole. In combination with a cellular phone back cover, the top cover makes it possible to provide a cellular phone. This type of cellular phone top cover involves a smaller number of components, has high product strength and high waterproofness, and has good design quality with an arbitrary design, such as character, symbol or pattern, given at an arbitrary spot(s).
The method of fabricating a cellular phone top cover of the foregoing aspects of the present invention involves no such fitting process as fitting many components together. Further, any arbitrary design of hiding pattern and the transparent display window can be formed into the resin molded article of an arbitrary configuration in one operation. Also, an arbitrary design can be easily given at an arbitrary spot(s) on the cellular phone top cover. Thus, it is possible to efficiently fabricate such a cellular phone top cover having the transparent display window and character or symbol or pattern as above mentioned.